An average guy capable of discussing TV & film on a higher level but would rather do it from the couch.

Brockmire Might Be One Of The Greats, A Definite Must Watch Series.

I’m going to start this off with a huge announcement: IFC’s new show BROCKMIRE has officially earned the “Sheehan Guarantee“ stamp of quality. Congratulations to Hank Azaria and the whole crew, you’ve earned it. Being that this is the first official recipient of the coveted mark of approval on Half-Glass, I should explain.
The “Sheehan Guarantee” stamp of quality is not given out in a haphazardly manor. It is reserved for something that I feel, deep down in my heart of hearts, can entertain the masses on a very simple level. Not everyone will love it, but everyone can find something in it to love.

When I originally sat down to watch Brockmire I had no idea what I was getting into. I was completely ignorant to the premise and context. All I knew was what I read from tweets telling me its a must-watch. (FYI, I will never ignore a “must watch” recommendation so send them my way @_Sheehan_. I will always give it a shot.)

It’s no secret by now that I love the show. We’re 3 episodes into the 8 episode season and I love how it’s developing. It reminds me of the first season of Eastbound & Down before it completely went to shit. Brockmire is a beloved professional baseball announcer who’s life goes to hell and has a meltdown live on air. The show begins after he spends the next 10 years disconnected from the world, wandering around the slums of the earth until he is persuaded tricked out of retirement self-exile to be the announcer of a minor league baseball team where hilarity ensues.

Apparently this is not some brilliant idea that was randomly pitched to IFC. While doing some internet-ing to write this blog I discovered that Brockmire is actually a spin-off of a 4 minute episode of a Funny or Die series called “Gamechangers” that debuted in 2010.

How about that?? Hank Azaria has been developing this character for at least 7 years and it shows. The difference between this 4 minute clip and the Brockmire show is night and day. Every single word coming out of his mouth is smooth, witty, and offensive. I’ve watched the first 2 episodes twice already because the dialogue is good it’s worth a second pass. Here are some gifs someone made from the first episode. Big thanks to that mystery man.

Episode 3 Discussion: SPOILERS
-So this oil company went through all the effort of secretly helping this dumb local woman mortgage her house and bar in order to buy the team with the hopes that she’d fail and go bankrupt, allowing them to take the stadium and demolish it to build their new water-something plant?? Ok sure, but obviously they could’ve just bought the team in the first place and dissolve it immediately to do their thing right? The team obviously isn’t valuable so it must have been dirt cheap… but I know I know… suspension of disbelief. This show isn’t supposed to be a critical masterpiece so we look past those dumb details and focus on the content at the surface.

-Giving out free money, but only on scheduled home games to prevent locals from going to the stadium and making attendance suffer is hilarious. That’s the strategy of a 7 year old and I honestly can’t find a flaw in that plan which is scary for me.

-Brockmire and Jules’ romantic relationship is weird but fitting given the shithole town they’re in and their mutual love of baseball.

-They finally got into the team this week and it didn’t disappoint. Their huge argument over an unwritten rules of baseball infraction being the result of a Japanese translator’s plot to get his guy to quit because he hated living in that shit hole was beautiful. Everyone knows a translator can manipulate a conversation like a puppetmaster.

-The team sucks, the stadium sucks, and the city sucks. How the hell is this going to turn itself around? Real world: this is already dead. Fake world: I’m extremely excited to find out.

I wish I could make a few gifs like the ones I posted abovebut I’m just not that talented/ don’t have the time. So here are a few of the lines from Brockmire this episode that makes him so entertaining.

“you have the delicate frame of a twink, but you don’t quite have the temperament”

“this is a doozy of a pickle of a shit storm”

“if you’re gonna chew tobacco, don’t let it get all over the floor. That’s what Hitler would have done”

“Oh no no, you think that I’m the kind of guy who likes to say ‘I told you so’ but that’s not true. I LOVE to say it, and I will be doing so in the days and months ahead at random moments when you least expect it.“